WASHINGTON - Maj. Gen. George S. Patton, the son and namesake of
the World War II armored commander and a veteran of combat in the Korean and Vietnam wars,
died on Sunday, June 27, 2004 at his home in Hamilton, Mass. He was 80.
Funeral services will be held at St. John's
Episcopal Church, Beverly Farms, MA on Wednesday, July 7 at 10:00 a.m.
Patton, who retired from the Army in 1980, had been in poor health for years because
of complications from hip surgery and other ailments, his wife, Joanne, said.
The younger Patton was occasionally asked whether he felt overshadowed by his father, who
gained fame for his exploits in North Africa, Sicily and France and who was introduced to
new generations of Americans through George C. Scott's movie portrayal. "I've never
worried about it," the son said in an interview in 1977. "I've been too
busy."
The younger officer was wounded in one of his three Vietnam tours and was awarded a Purple
Heart. He was twice awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the second-highest decoration
for bravery in combat.
Patton was in his last year at West Point when his father, George S. Patton Jr., was
killed in a traffic accident in Germany in December 1945.
Patton acknowledged that, just as his father had, he demanded a spit-and-polish look from
his soldiers. And like his father, he loved history and spoke French, Joanne said.
As a colonel, he commanded the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment in Vietnam. As a major
general in 1975, he took command of the Second Armored Division at Fort Hood, Texas. His
father had led the division in North Africa.
Also surviving are three sons, George, of
Hamilton; Robert, of Darien, Conn.; and Benjamin, of New York; two daughters, Mother
Margaret Patton, a nun in Bethlehem, Conn., and Helen Plusczyk of Saarbruecken, Germany;
six grandchildren; and a great-grandson.
Funeral Services were held at St. Johns Episcopal Church in Beverly Farms on July
7, 2004 at 10:00 a.m. I attended the funeral. Read my account here.
The General's remains were intered at Arlington National Cemetery August 27, 2004 at
11:00 A.M. Arlington National Cemetery 703-607-8000.
